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Once a rare refuge in war-torn Gaza, the beach offered relief and a glimpse of freedom. Now, even the sea is off-limits — as Israel bans access to the coast, warning it could cost lives.

For decades, the number of California sea otters cratered. But they've been making a comeback — and are helping curb erosion along the coast by eating the crabs that accelerate it.

A damaged tanker breaks apart off the coast of Spain, spilling several tons of oil into the ocean. Salvage crews work to contain the spill, but with 70,000 tons of oil aboard, officials fear an environmental disaster worse than the 1989 Exxon Valdez spill off Alaska. Jerome Socolovsky reports.

The Navy is defending its practice of inviting civilian visitors on warships to sit in control positions during exercises. Officials do admit that civilians may have been a distraction aboard the submarine U.S.S. Greeneville during the sub's fatal surfacing maneuver last Friday. The sub collided with a Japanese fishing trawler, sinking the ship. Nine people are still missing and presumed drowned in the incident off the coast of Hawaii. NPR's Tom Gjelten reports.

A New Zealand air force plane returned safely today to Christchurch after retrieving four ill Americans and seven other U.S. staffers from a frigid research station near Antarctica's coast. A second perilous rescue mission to the bottom of the world is now underway. An eight-seat Twin Otter plane has landed at the South Pole to evacuate a sick American doctor. Antarctica's harsh, dark winter conditions usually preclude flights in or out. NPR's Richard Harris reports.

Residents of Matinicus, off the coast of Maine, are pushing back on book banning efforts sweeping the country. They're stocking their library's shelves with books being censored elsewhere.

Researchers used drones to study close encounters along the Southern California coast. They surveyed 26 beaches for more than a year with no shark bites reported.

The beloved Oregon author Beverly Cleary died last week at the age of 104. OPB producer Katrina Sarson visited Cleary at her home on the California coast 6 years ago for an interview. We play an excerpt from that interview today.

The Oregon Health Authority lifted warnings for two of five popular beaches on the coast just in time for Fourth of July celebrations.

An invasive fungus that has killed millions of bats on the East Coast, has been found in California. White-nose syndrome was detected last week on several bats near Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northern California. Forum talks about the spread of the deadly bat disease and efforts to stop it. We’ll also discuss the important … Continue reading Fungus Deadly to Bats Found in California →